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Now available at www.lulu.com

Now you can buy my book: "Dealing With Danger -- Be Prepared, Aware and Decisive"

My Book, Dealing With Danger is now available at Lulu.com. Also available at Amazon.com price $15.95

Available from Barnes & Noble as an e-reader Nook book price $ 8.99

Available for download on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iBooks and on your computer with iTunes as an eReader book price $8.99
'dealing with danger: be prepared, aware and decisive' is Available on the iBookstore
It's an instructional book to show people how to develop a straightforward, but comprehensive mindset or mental attitude to be aware of their surroundings, make simple but effective plans, and know when to put them into action. You can read a preview of the book online. A lot of people say that we need to develop a warrior attitude, but that just doesn't work for everyone. In my book I'll show you, regardless of age, gender, background, physical ability, and especially attitude how to be better prepared to survive the bad events in life by becoming a junkyard dog. Just click here.


Retail price is $15.95 plus shipping & handling

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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

What Kind of a Survivor Are You?

Here's an interesting little survey from The Survivors Club. I'm not sure how much it actually tells us about ourselves, but I do think it prompts us to question how we would handle specific threats and emergencies.

So for that reason alone, I took the survey. It only takes a couple of minutes. Click here to go to the survey. You may be surprised what you find out about yourself.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Those Pesky Spring Snowstorms!

It's snowing hard in my part of the world. Big, fluffy, wet flakes that have brought visibility down to a couple of hundred yards--less in some places. This is the type of storm that produces enough heavy, wet snow to bring down branches, and in some cases entire trees. And when that happens, quite often power lines come down too.

The forecast is for 6 - 12 inches of snow over the next 24 hours. It's not uncommon for entire neighborhoods to be without power for several days when weather like this hits.

But there are some simple preparations that most people can make in case the power goes out for an extended period:

It's a good idea to make a run to the store before the storm hits and pick up some food that doesn't require heat to prepare. Maybe a few extra batteries for flashlights would be a good idea too. Keep in mind that candles burn the oxygen out of the air in a confined space, and that they should never be left unattended because of the risk of fire.

This is a good time to stay inside and eat nutritious food, to help stay warm and drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Close off rooms that aren't needed and put newspaper or similar material at the base of doors to keep the cold out. Painter's masking tape is pretty good for temporarily sealing drafts from cracks around doors and windows, and if it isn't left on for days, it won't peel off the paint when it's taken off. Be very careful using any kind of heater that produces a flame and in all circumstances make sure that there is adequate ventilation. People die from carbon monoxide poisoning when they light a fire without having sufficient ventilation to remove the fumes, so it is vital to have a constant supply of fresh air into the living area.

It may be necessary during the course of the storm to go outside to check that ventilation ducts have not been choked with snow, preventing fresh air from getting into the building.

An extra layer or two of clothing is, of course a simple way to stay warmer, but don't forget that pets may also need an extra blanket to help them stay warm.

Be careful of walking under trees that have a heavy blanket of snow on them that may cause branches to snap off and fall.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Save the Data, Survive the Disaster

Readers of the blog will know we deal with preparing for disasters in time to either avoid or deal with them. But what happens in the aftermath of a natural or man-made disaster?

How do we pick up the pieces and begin the task of trying to restore our lives to the way they were before the storm, the flood, the attack?

Businesses as well as individuals keep so much information in electronic form that it's worth playing the "what if?" game and asking ourselves: "What if my computer files were all lost? How would I recover that important information? Is it even possible for me to recover that important information?"

A second "what if" game to play is to pretend you're trying to hack into your own computer. What passwords would you need, where would you look to find backup discs containing software applications and sensitive information: bank accounts, investment info, social security numbers, personal papers, medical information, etc. if it becomes obvious where you've hidden these things, it may be obvious to a hacker or a burglar too.

Data can only be recovered if it exists. That means taking regular backups of computer files and then making sure those backups are stored in a safe place. The goal is to be able to resume operation of any computer-based activities that are important to us from running a business, to storing family photographs or simply playing our favorite computer games. The criterion is that if you have something on your computer that would upset you if it suddenly no longer existed, then that data and software needs to be backed up regularly.

Here are a few things that can be done to make a catastrophic loss easier to cope with:

1. Make a list of all software license numbers and keys, security passwords and any other information needed to restore software onto a computer and put that list in a secure place where no unauthorized people can get to it.

2. Make security passwords complicated (a mix of alpha and numeric characters, both upper and lowercase). The longer and more complex the password, the tougher it is for hackers to figure out what it is. Use a different password for each application and change them all frequently. Do not share passwords with others.

3. Ideally, make two backups of both data and application software packages; one backup to stay in a secure location away from home or place of business, and the other to be available in a secure location on site.

There are other things that can be done to improve security, including hiring a professional service to manage data storage. But either way, somehow, data and information needs to be secured.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Disaster Preparedness for Animals

We've all seen disasters on the TV news such as hurricanes, tornados, flooding, and earthquakes. Much attention (and rightly so) is given to the suffering and deaths of people, but what about the animals involved? What can people do to care for their pets in a crisis?

Here are a few guidelines:

Every household needs a basic plan to cope with natural disasters and possible evacuations. The plan should include taking pets along if the owners have to evacuate their homes. Some people may just turn their pets loose to fend for themselves in a disaster, but not only is this not in the animal's best interests, but it may cause a problem for someone else. It's better to try to take pets along in the event of an evacuation.

However, except for service animals, most emergency shelters don't accept pets. As part of the overall emergency plan, it's worth checking with local hotels to see which ones allow owners with their pets and where there are pet boarding services that may be outside of the disaster area.

If pets are to be boarded, the facility will first want to check that all vaccinations are up to date, so remember to bring the animal's veterinary records along too.

Pets will also need to wear indentification tags with contact information such as a phone number in case they are lost.

Assemble a disaster kit for pets that includes food, water, medication (if any) can opener, litter box and information on name, address, medical and behavioral issues.

For most of us, our pets are part of the family. Why wouldn't we take a few simple steps to look after them in an emergency?

Monday, March 1, 2010

Thinking of Buying a Gun? Take a Class First

A few days ago, along with three other instructors I taught the NRA Personal Protection in the Home class. This 12 hour class is available across the country and teaches people the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship, firearms safety, and state laws regarding use of deadly force for self-defense.

In the two decades that I've been an instructor, a total of three students have taken the entire class and then told me that they appreciated the information and that it helped them to decide that owning a firearm for self-defense was not for them.

That's OK.

My job as an instructor is to give students the information they need to make an informed decision for themselves, not to convince people to acquire a gun.

Let's recognize that most people, including police officers, go through their entire lives armed, but never have to use a gun to defend themselves. We can liken this to the sailor who spends his entire career at sea wearing a life preserver that he never needs unless he falls overboard. But when that police officer does need his gun to stop a criminal, when that sailor does fall overboard, when that armed citizen does get into a confrontation that he cannot avoid, that is when that additional level of security may be needed.

Some people buy a gun and simply stick it in a bedroom drawer and think they are safer.

They aren't.

Using a firearm in self-defense is like taking part in a NASCAR race: It all happens very quickly; It's dangerous and people sometimes die; Only people who have trained properly and who practice regularly are likely to have a chance of surviving, let alone winning.

The National Rifle Association sponsors basic classes across the country. Contact the NRA to find local instructors.